Impact of Zumba on Cognition and Quality of Life is Independent of APOE4 Carrier Status in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Women: A 6-Month Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Objective: To investigate the association of a 6-month Zumba intervention with cognition and quality of life among older cognitively unimpaired apolipoprotein SMALL ELEMENT OF4 (APOE4) carrier and noncarrier women. Methods: Fifty-three women were randomly assigned to either twice-weekly Zumba group classes or maintenance of habitual exercise (control group) for 6 months. At baseline, 3, and 6 months, all participants underwent neuropsychological, physical activity, and quality-of-life assessments. Results: Overall, neuropsychological test scores and level of physical activity did not differ between intervention and control groups at any time. However, compared to the control group, quality of life was higher at 3 months, and visuospatial working memory and response inhibition improved more in the intervention group by 6 months. Apolipoprotein SMALL ELEMENT OF4 status did not affect the results. Discussion: Zumba may strengthen performance on visuospatial working memory among cognitively unimpaired older women but this needs to be tested in a larger clinical trial

Sex-Based Memory Advantages and Cognitive Aging: A Challenge to the Cognitive Reserve Construct?

Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2015. Education and related proxies for cognitive reserve (CR) are confounded by associations with environmental factors that correlate with cerebrovascular disease possibly explaining discrepancies between studies examining their relationships to cognitive aging and dementia. In contrast, sex-related memory differences may be a better proxy. Since they arise developmentally, they are less likely to reflect environmental confounds. Women outperform men on verbal and men generally outperform women on visuospatial memory tasks. Furthermore, memory declines during the preclinical stage of AD, when it is clinically indistinguishable from normal aging. To determine whether CR mitigates age-related memory decline, we examined the effects of gender and APOE genotype on longitudinal memory performances. Memory decline was assessed in a cohort of healthy men and women enriched for APOE ε4 who completed two verbal [Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), Buschke Selective Reminding Test (SRT)] and two visuospatial [Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (CFT), and Benton Visual Retention Test (VRT)] memory tests, as well as in a separate larger and older cohort [National Alzheimer\u27s Coordinating Center (NACC)] who completed a verbal memory test (Logical Memory). Age-related memory decline was accelerated in APOE ε4 carriers on all verbal memory measures (AVLT, p=.03; SRT p\u3c.001; logical memory p\u3c.001) and on the VRT p=.006. Baseline sex associated differences were retained over time, but no sex differences in rate of decline were found for any measure in either cohort. Sex-based memory advantage does not mitigate age-related memory decline in either APOE ε4 carriers or non-carriers

Depressive symptoms in healthy apolipoprotein e e4 carriers and noncarriers: A longitudinal study

Objective: To determine if symptoms of depression accelerate in cognitively normal apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 carriers as compared to noncarriers. Method: Six hundred thirty-three cognitively and functionally normal members of the Arizona APOE Cohort aged 21-86 years underwent neuropsychological testing every 1 to 2 years that included the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Personality Assessment Inventory. We estimated the longitudinal change on these measures using mixed models that simultaneously modeled cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of age on depression scores by APOE status and the interaction between the two. We also estimated incident depression on the basis of accepted clinical cut-scores on depression measures and use of depression medications. Results: The mean length of follow-up was 7.7 years. Comparing APOE e4 carriers with noncarriers revealed no significant longitudinal difference in the rate of change or slope of change on any depression scale or subscale. There was also no difference in incident depression or antidepressant drug use between the carrier and noncarrier groups. Conclusions: These data fail to support a relationship between APOE genotype and longitudinal change in depression symptoms, suggesting that depression symptoms may not be intrinsic to the early preclinical phase of Alzheimer\u27s disease. © Copyright 2013 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc

Impact of Personality on Cognitive Aging: A Prospective Cohort Study

© 2016 Published by Cambridge University Press. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the association between personality factors and age-related longitudinal cognitive performance, and explore interactions of stress-proneness with apolipoprotein E (APOE) ϵ4, a prevalent risk factor for Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). Methods: A total of 510 neuropsychiatrically healthy residents of Maricopa County recruited through media ads (mean age 57.6±10.6 years; 70% women; mean education 15.8±2.4 years; 213 APOE ϵ4 carriers) had neuropsychological testing every 2 years (mean duration follow-up 9.1±4.4 years), and the complete Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Personality Inventory-Revised. Several tests were administered within each of the following cognitive domains: memory, executive skills, language, visuospatial skills, and general cognition. Primary effects on cognitive trajectories and APOE ϵ4 interactions were ascertained with quadratic models. Results: With personality factors treated as continuous variables, Neuroticism was associated with greater decline, and Conscientiousness associated with reduced decline consistently across tests in memory and executive domains. With personality factors trichotomized, the associations of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness were again highly consistent across tests within memory and to a lesser degree executive domains. While age-related memory decline was greater in APOE ϵ4 carriers as a group than ϵ4 noncarriers, verbal memory decline was mitigated in ϵ4 carriers with higher Conscientiousness, and visuospatial perception and memory decline was mitigated in ϵ4 carriers with higher Openness. Conclusions: Neuroticism and Conscientiousness were associated with changes in longitudinal performances on tests sensitive to memory and executive skills. APOE interactions were less consistent. Our findings are consistent with previous studies that have suggested that personality factors, particularly Neuroticism and Conscientiousness are associated with cognitive aging patterns

Impact of Zumba on Cognition and Quality of Life is Independent of APOE4 Carrier Status in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Women: A 6-Month Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

© The Author(s) 2019. Objective: To investigate the association of a 6-month Zumba intervention with cognition and quality of life among older cognitively unimpaired apolipoprotein ∊4 (APOE4) carrier and noncarrier women. Methods: Fifty-three women were randomly assigned to either twice-weekly Zumba group classes or maintenance of habitual exercise (control group) for 6 months. At baseline, 3, and 6 months, all participants underwent neuropsychological, physical activity, and quality-of-life assessments. Results: Overall, neuropsychological test scores and level of physical activity did not differ between intervention and control groups at any time. However, compared to the control group, quality of life was higher at 3 months, and visuospatial working memory and response inhibition improved more in the intervention group by 6 months. Apolipoprotein ∊4 status did not affect the results. Discussion: Zumba may strengthen performance on visuospatial working memory among cognitively unimpaired older women but this needs to be tested in a larger clinical trial

Neuropsychological comparison of incident MCI and prevalent MCI

© 2018 The Authors Introduction: Little empirical work has been done to examine differences between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosed in research settings with longitudinal data (incident MCI) and MCI diagnosed in clinical settings (prevalent MCI). Because Alzheimer\u27s disease progresses over a clinicopathological continuum, we examined the cognitive differences between these two different sources of MCI patients. Methods: We compared 52 consecutively identified patients with prevalent amnestic MCI with 53 incident amnestic MCI participants from the Arizona APOE study. Neuropsychological data from common tests were compared encompassing four cognitive domains and one global indicator. Results: Prevalent MCI cases performed significantly worse than incident MCI cases on global as well as domain-specific measures. Discussion: By the time patients seek evaluation for memory loss, they have more severe single domain, amnestic MCI than research subjects with incident MCI. Studies of MCI should distinguish incident and prevalent not just single- and multiple-domain MCI

Computer versus Compensatory Calendar Training in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Functional Impact in a Pilot Study

This pilot study examined the functional impact of computerized versus compensatory calendar training in cognitive rehabilitation participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Fifty-seven participants with amnestic MCI completed randomly assigned calendar or computer training. A standard care control group was used for comparison. Measures of adherence, memory-based activities of daily living (mADLs), and self-efficacy were completed. The calendar training group demonstrated significant improvement in mADLs compared to controls, while the computer training group did not. Calendar training may be more effective in improving mADLs than computerized intervention. However, this study highlights how behavioral trials with fewer than 30–50 participants per arm are likely underpowered, resulting in seemingly null findings

Priority of Treatment Outcomes for Caregivers and Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Preliminary Analyses

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